Reception at child's school comments regarding parking blue badge

labmonkey1

Hi.. I have a blue badge and parking within school is permitted for these. My daughter left this school a few years back. Beforehand on one occasion I buzzed to be let into school car park due to having the blue badge one reception member told her it's a staff car park I shouldn't use it. Yet for 3 plus years I had she knew it was me and this staff member isn't new either or wasn't. Now why she had to tell my daughter that I don't know I questioned it at the time and was dismissed with baffle. This Monday just gone. My son is now in his first year at the school I was waiting to be answered at the gate intercom. My son could see me and impatiently was trying to get receptions attention. Unfortunately for him he was told again knowing it was me and him that it's a staff car park and they do me a favour help me out in letting me use it.. Which with attitude I was repeated the above too by the receptionist in question, when I took a sad despondent boy back into the office to find out why he thinks I shouldn't use the car park its wrong.

 Is there any formal disability right I can quote in dealing with this as the headteacher is calling it a clash of personalities. Whereas this person has repeatedly chastised  both my children for me using the car park via Blue badge

EmmaB

I hate situations like this where we are made to feel like an inconvenience for asking for a very simple reasonable adjustment... And in the eyes of the law this is what it is. They  wouare Inot doing you a favour they are (and should be) complying with the law. I would organise to meet with the head formally to nip this in the bud. You can use the term reasonable adjustment, and drop in words like discrimination and Equality Act for good measure. Good luck. 

labmonkey1

Thank you EmmaB

newborn

Refusing "reasonable adjustment"  to ensure  disabled access to premises is serious. It is a breach in itself, and clearly renders the service provider liable to be found guilty of offences under discrimination legislation. 

Also, the   discrimination is a risk of denying your son access to schooling, since he needs dropping and collecting just  as others do, but it is being made  "difficult or impossible " 

skullcap

Our local school has a policy of 'no moving traffic' within the grounds from 8.30 to 9.15 and 2.45 and 3.30 is allowed.
This is to protect the children.
All gates are locked at this time to achieve this. In fact if you do manage to get in before 8.30 and 2.45 you are effectively on 'lock down' until the gates are reopened.
To me this is sensible as you are always going to get someone doing silly things with a car during these times.
Double yellow lines have been installed all around the school so as to stop parents blocking the roads.
 Our local supermarket has agreed that parents can park there free for 1 hour.
The safety of all children is paramount.

EmmaB

Hi @skullcap - the safety of the children is of course paramount, but health and safety is often used as an excuse to prohibit and restrict disabled people's lives... That said, I feel there is always a way round such problems provided the parties involved are willing to find a way and not hide behind the safety barrier so to speak.
All the best.
Emma

skullcap

EmmaB said:

Hi @skullcap - the safety of the children is of course paramount, but health and safety is often used as an excuse to prohibit and restrict disabled people's lives... That said, I feel there is always a way round such problems provided the parties involved are willing to find a way and not hide behind the safety barrier so to speak.
All the best.
Emma

The school's way of thinking and yes there are disabled parents as well as children involved, is that a driver holding a Blue Badge is just as likely to run down a child on the school premises as any other driver could.
The way this has been solved is that disabled parents and/or their disabled children would have to wait until 8.31 and 3.31 when the gates are opened to collect their child. Any disabled child that this applies to is kept inside the school until the gates are opened.